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RECORDS OF THE COLUMBIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
Volume 1, pages 185-213 



WASHINGT 



IN THE 

V 




p^PR 24 \897 



FORBES EXPEDITION OF 1758 



sT 



JOSEPH MEREDITH TONER, M. D. 



[Read before the Society March 2, 1896] 



WASHINGTON 

PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY 

March 1897 



r 



RECORDS OF THE COLUMBIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

VOLUME I. pages 185-213 APRIL 7, 1897 



WASHINGTON IN THE FORBES EXPEDITION OF 

1758 



Joseph Meredith Toner, M. D. 



[feead before the Society :MiiiTh 2, 1S96J 



The ex-ample of love of country, strict integrity, high aims, 
industry, perseverance, and stability of purpose, with the_ 
maxini'^ of conduct and other good suggestions left us as 
an inheritance by the Father of our Country, like the -bless- 
ings of Providence, ^em to be inexhaustible. Almost every 
month some" letter, document, oa^'opinion of his is discovered 
or printed for the first time, notwithstanding the zeal and 
energy of the organized associations of loyal men and women 
throughout the United States, including an army of writers, 
who have been for man}^ j^ears engaged in Ijringing to public 
notice interesting eveiits and occurrences in tlie life, labor, 
and writings of George Witshington. The nund)er of valu- 
al)le unpublished letters of Washington which are still Ijeing 
discovered is surprisingly numerous and their contents are 
read with undiminished interest. Judging from the past, 
we may hope that the future will be fruitful in bringing to 
light many moi^ productions of this marvelous letter-writer — 
productions which have hitherto remained in seclusion and 
which must remain an enduring benediction to the people 
and of special value in illustrating the history and the rise 
of our Republic. 

25— Rk.c. Coi,. Hist. Soc. ' (185) 



2 Records of the Columbia Historical Society 

• 
We here present in facsimile the (h'aft of a notal)ly iniiior- 

taiit letter and two plans for marching- an army thronii'h a 
wooded eonntry. These })lans were devised and written l)y 
Colonel George Washington at the solicitation of General 
John Forhes in 1758. General Forbes was then in com- 
mand of an expedition against Fort Dn (,Jnesne, and it wonld 
seem had reqnested all his colonels to favor him with i)lans 
and suggestions on this snl)ject. Responses to this re({nest 
from his other officers were doubtless made, but Washington's 
is the only one of whose existence we have knowledge, and 
it has been preserved through his haljit of keeping drafts of 
his more important letters. The original, forwarded to Gen- 
eral Forbes, was doubtless written and drawn with greater 
care, but' is probably lost. The transmitted draft of this 
letter was and probably still is in the office of the Chief Engi- 
neer of the United States Army, as General Charles Gratiot 
certified that it was before him and that he had compared 
with it the lithographic coi)y, whose accuracy he endorsed. 

The first draft of the letter is written on the inside of a 
double folio sheet of paper, the letter proper occupying the 
left hand and the plans of nuirch the right hand page. 
Across the middle of the sheet when closed is the following 
endorsement, also in Washington's handwriting : 

To G'eii'. Fovhc^i—Cuminnndhifj His Mitjcsli/s Forces Employed ou Ihe Olilo 

ExjmJUion. 

Siii: In coiii«equeiice of j'oiir request of the Colonels assembled at 
your lodgings the 5 Inst I ofler the })lans on this other side to y'' con.sid- 
eration— They express my thoughts on a line of march through a country 
covered with woods & how that line of march may be formed in an 
Instant into an Order of Battle. 

The first plan suggested by Colonel Washington was in the 
main adopted by General Forbes and followed as the order 
of march from Loyal Hannon, now Ligonier, in Westmore- 
land county, Pennsylvania, to Fort l)u Quesne, now Pitts- 
burg. 

The Plan of y" Line of March and Order of Battle on the other side is 
calculated for a Forced March with field pieces only unincumber'd with 

186 



,/. M. Toner — ]]asliiii(/(()v in Forfxs Expedition of 1758 3 

AVaegon'.s, — It Ilcpresents ; lirs^t :i Line of ]\I;iirli ami Secondly how that 
line of March may in an Instant, be thrown into an Order of Battle in 
the Woods ; 

This Plan snpposes 4000 Privates, 1000 of which— (Picked Men) are to 
march in I'^ront, in three Division's, — each Division liav^. y*^ field officer 
to Leadin- it besides the Commander of the whole and is to be in readi- 
ness alinii/s to opi^ose the Enemy'whose Attack, if the necessary precau- 
tions are observed, must always be in front. 

The First Division must, as the 2 & 3 ought likewise to be subdivided 
for y" Captain's ; these subdivisions to be again divided for the Subalterns 
and y'=. Subalterns again for the Sergeants & Corporals by which nieens 
every nou Commission'd Otlicer will have a Party to Command under 
the Eye of a Subaltern as the Subalterns will have under the direction 
of a Captain &c'\ — 

N H. I shall, tho I believe it is unnecessary, remark here, — that the 
Captain's when ilieir sub Divisions are again divided are to take comn)nd. 
of no particular i^art of it but to attend to the whole subdivision — as the 
subalterns are to do — with tlieirs, each Captain a Subaltern acting as 
Commandant of the Division he is appointed to under the field officers 
visiting A: encouraging all jxirts equally alike et keep''', y" Sold''* to y'. 
])uty. 

This being done the first Division is so soon as the Yang'', is attack'd 
(if that gives the first notice of y"^ Enemies approach) to file of to the 
Right & left and take to Trees,— gaining the enemies flanks and surround- 
ing of them as describ'd in Plan the 2 — TheFlank Guards on the Right 
which belong to y'^ 2nd Division are immediately to extend to the Right 
follow'tl by that Division and to form as descril)ed in the aforesaid plan— 
The Rear Grand Division is to follow the left Flankers in the same man- 
ner, in order if i)ossible to Encompass the Enemy, which being a prac- 
tice different from any thing they have ever yet experienc'd from Us, I 
think may be accomplish'd — 

What Indians we have shou'd be Order'd to gc't round unperceived & 
fall upon the Enemys Rear at the same time. 

The Front & Rear being thus Secur'd, their remains a body of 2500 Men 
to form two Brigades— on the Flanks of w'-'' GOO Men must March for 
safety of them, in such Order as to Form a Rank entire by only March- 
ing y^ Capt'". & Subalt'■"^ Guard into y'' Intervals between y'^ Sergeants 
Parties as may lie seen by y* 2 Plan. — 

The main body will now be reduc'd to 1900 Men— which sli'' be kept 
as a Corjjs de- reserve to support any part that shall be f. w''. or forc'd 

The whole is Submitted to Correction with the utmost Candour by Sir 
y'' most Obed* & most H'''>= Ser'. 

G". Washington. 

Another precious document among the Wasliington papers 
in. the Department of State has recently been brouglit to the 

187 



4 Becords of the Columh^i Historical Society 

author's attention. It is in the nature of an orderly Ijook, 
kept by Colonel Washington in the Forbes expedition. It 
opens at Raes Town, now Bedford, Pa., September 21, 1758. 
Into this book A\^ashington copied all the orders of the general 
commanding, giving the camps pitched at variable distances, 
Avith tlie daily assignments of officers and men to duty at 
Bedford, in the march from Bedford to Ligonier, and from 
the latter place to Pittsburg. The camps were selected fi-om 
convenience as to distance, water, grass for cattle, a good out- 
look, to avoid surprises, etc. The record was presumaldy 
made from the daily orderly book of the general command- 
ing, whether Bouc}uet or Forbes. Whether General Forbes's 
orderly book of the expedition is still extant, and, if so, where 
it is, is unknown to the writer. Washington during the 
French and Indian hostilities was not only an active partici- 
pant, but also a diligent student of the art of war, and felici- 
tated himself upon the opportunity of serving under an officer 
of General Forbes's ability. This doubtless led him to per- 
form the labor of copying these orders in the Forbes expedi- 
tion, so as thoroughl}' to familiarize himself with all the de- 
tails of management l;)v a commanding general of recognized 
ability. An excerpt will Ije made from the orderly book fur- 
ther on, as it is believed an account of the Forbes ex])edition, 
which drove the French from the forks of the Ohio and from 
the possession of the IMississippi valley, will prove of interest. 
Colonel Washington had taken the pains, while acting as 
aid to General Braddock in his ill-fated expedition, to copy 
into a book all of that general's orders on the march from 
Alexandria j)rior to the defeat of his army on the banks of 
the Monongahela on the 9th of July, 1755. This kind of 
study was characteristic of Washington. (3n his trip to Bar- 
badoes, 1751, he copied the ship's log book and familiarized 
himself with taking observations at sea. He aimed to be 
thoroughly well informed upon every subject which engaged 
his attention or in whatever enterprise he was employed ; 
hence the copies of those orderly books. The last is preserved 
in the Library of Congress, the former in the Department of 

188 



J. M. Toner — Wa.'<]iington in Forbes Expedition of 1758 5 

State. It is dittieult for people of this day, accustomed to 
travel in a few liours across the Alleghany mountains by rail 
in palace cars, to conceive what a l)arrier to tlie passage of 
an army these mountains presented in IToo and 1758, cov- 
ered, as they then were, with forests and before wagon roads 
had been made across them. Up to the time when " the Ohio 
Company," in wdiich two of George Washington's brothers 
were partners, improved the butfalo trail and Indian path in 
1751-'52 to enable pack-horses to pass with their loads, no 
attempt had been anywhere made to open a road from the 
East over the Appalachian range of mountains to the head- 
waters of the Ohio. In the spring of 1754 the pack-horse 
road of the Ohio Company was further improved to permit 
the passage of light artillery or swivel guns. These were 
drawn by hand and were used by the armed military expe- 
dition under the actual command of Colonel George Wash- 
ington. The troops had been ordered out by Governor Din- 
widdle to build forts at the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsl)urg, 
to prevent the French from occupying that locality. Colonel 
Joshua Fry, Avho had Ijeen appointed to command the expe- 
dition, died at Fort Cumberland en route and before he had 
assumed direction in the field. After his death the command 
fell u})on Lieutenant Colonel George Washington, who was 
at once promoted to the rank of colonel. He was then in the 
field with 300 men and had opened a road nearly to the 
Monongahela, when he was apprised by his Indian scouts 
that a vastly superior force of French and Indians had left 
Fort Du Quesne and were marching against him. After a 
council of war with his officers, it was judged prudent to re- 
treat to Will's Creek, in hopes that he might meet reinforce- 
ments and supplies and be able to make a stand against even 
the superior force of the enemy. Although Colonel Wash- 
ington had been reinforced a few days before by an inde- 
pendent company of 100 men under Captain James Mackaye 
from South Carolina, he was still in expectation of the ar- 
rival of two other independent companies from New York 
that two weeks before had landed at Alexandria; but they 

189 



6 Records of the ColuDib^, Historical Society 

did not anivo even at Will's Creek until after Colonel Wash- 
ington was com})elled to make a stand at Fort Necessity. 
Here he was attacked l)y a force of French and Indians four 
times that of his own. The engagement began (uu'ly in the 
day and lasted for eight hours, when a call was made by the 
French for a parley, which he deemed it i)rudent to grant, 
and a capitulation was entered into. The terms agreed upon 
enabled him to return with his men to the settled parts of 
Virginia. 

One of the great needs in the early days in all the proyinces 
was that of good wagon roads. The lack of these was a hin- 
drance which retarded the growth of eyery new settlement. 
General Braddock was confronted with this necessity when 
he attempted to march his army to the head of the Ohio. He 
had no alternatiye but to make a road, and after great labor 
and expense the General's engineers and soldiers im})royed 
the old pack-horse road at some places and at others o]iened 
a new one from Will's Creek, now Cumberland, to Braddock's 
Fields, on the Monongahela. CJeneral Braddock, by urgent 
representations, induced the goyernor and Assembly of Penn- 
sylvania to order the oi)ening of another road for sup})lies 
and for retreat, if necessary, to pass from Carlisle and Ship- 
pensburg through Raes Town to Turkey Foot, on the Youghio- 
gheny, and from thence to Fort Du Quesne, and to haye it 
in a good state of forwardness before he could consider it 
prudent to advance his army from F'ort Cumberland. Work 
had progressed upon this nearly parallel road, under the 
supervision of Colonel James Burd, as far as the top of the 
Alleghany mountains, and the remainder of the road was 
marked out to follow in the main a branch of the Youghio- 
gheny river when l>radd()ck's defeat occurred ; but the work 
on the road was there and then al)andoned. There were at 
this time no settlements about the head of the Ohio in which 
either of the provinces of A'irginia, Maryland, or reiuisyl- 
vania were especially interested or which re(|uii'ed the use 
of a wagon road to the seaboard. 

In 1758, when General Forbes began the organization of 

190 



.7. J/. Toner — Wo-'iJiiiif/fo}} in Forbes Expedition oj 1758 7 

his expedition against Fort Du Qiiesne, with liis hea(l(]uaiiers 
at Phihuleli)hia, the ^piestioii of roads and tlie line hy wljieh 
he slioiihl niareli his army presented itself as a mus! ini- 
})()rtaiit one. The road oi)ened l)y Colonel James Bnrd, in 
1755, as far as Kaes To^vn, and indeed the top of the Alle- 
ghany mountains, was serviceahle. General Forl)es's quarter- 
master general, Sir John St. Clair, on whom he liad to rely 
for supplies and who had served in the same capacity with 
General Braddock, was personally acquainted with the dif- 
ficulties to he encountered upon any road crossing the 
mountains. He, with Colonel Bouquet, was General Forhes's 
adviser. 

Unaccountahle delay attended the heginning of the ad- 
vance of the Forl)es army. 

By great assiduity, on Friday, oOth of June, tlie General 
got the last division of liis forces out of Philadelphia. Forbes 
himself set out the same day for Carlisle, where he arrived 
July 4th.* 

Estimates of tlie strength of General Forhes's army vary. 
A summary of the forces in the expedition is given as fol- 
lows in Mante's " History of the late war in North America," 
page 155 : 

Royal Americans 3.i0 

Montgomery's Highlanders 200 

Virginia Provincials 1,600 

Pennsylvania Provincials and Lower Connties 2,700 

Maryland 350 

Wagoners, &c 1,000 



Total 7,200 

A part of General Forhes's troops, under the command of 
Colonel Henry Bouquet,t had already been advanced to Car- 

* See letter to Colonel Bouquet, July 0, 175S, and American Magazine 
of History, June, 1758, page 4(i0. 

t Colonel Henry Bouquet, the first in command under General Forhes 
in the ex[)edition against the French at the head of the Ohio m 1758, was 
horn in RoUe, Switzerland, in 1710, and died in Pensacola, Florida, in 
February, 1706. His taste led him into a military life. He first entered 
the Dutch service and afterward that of Sardinia, and in 1748 was again 

191 



8 Tiecords of the Columl^a Historical Society 

lisle, as may be seen by a letter, bearing date Lancaster, May 
28, 1758, from Edward Shippen to his son, Major Joseph 
Shippen, at Philadelphia, in whicli he mentions that he was 
" engaged to send off at six o'clock a. m. of Tnesday morning 
60 waggons to Col. Bonqnet at Carlisle, which he shall be a 
little puzzled to do, as drivers are very scarce and saucy 
since the late enlistment" (Provincial History of Pennsyl- 
vania, page 123). Colonel Bouquet, with his Royal Ameri- 
cans, was at Raes Town June 30 ; the Highlanders, early in 
July, as was the First and Second battalions of Pennsylva- 
nians. 

General Forbes, it is to be remembered, was taken seriously 
ill with camp dysentery at Carlisle early in July and was 
rarely or never after able to ride on horseback. His move- 
ment with the army was upon a litter fastened to poles sus- 
pended at the sides of horses, one walking behind the other, 
as in shafts, the General's litter being placed upon the poles 

in the service of Holland as lieutenant colonel of Swiss guards. He en- 
tered the EngHsh army with the same rank in 1756, and became colonel 
of the Sixtieth foot 19th Febinary, 1762, and brigadier general in 1765. 
Secretary William Pitt, in planning the campaign of 1758 against the 
French in North America, assigned Bouquet's troops, the Royal Ameri- 
cans, then in South Carolina, as was also Colonel Montgomery's High- 
landers, to place themselves under General Forbes at Philadelphia. These 
were the regulars upon whom General Forbes relied. They arrived at 
Philadelphia early in June, 1758. Bouquet was a man of courage and a 
soldier of ability, with the large amount of self-conceit and dogmatism so 
common to British officers. His devotion to duty minimized these lim- 
itations in his character as a soldier. It was chiefly through his influ- 
ence that the new road from Raes Town was opened and the Braddock 
road ignored, though recommended by Washington, the delay in the 
making of which came so near defeating the purposes of the expedition 
under Forbes. (See the Washington- Bouquet letters.) On October 12, 
1758, his forces were attacked l)y the Frem-h and Indians at Loyal Han- 
non, but the latter were repulsed. In 1763 he, with a force of 500 men, 
Highlanders and Provincials, made a brave and successful defense in an 
attempt by Indians to surprise him at Bushy run, a tributary of Turtle 
creek. In this engagement he lost 8 officers and 115 men. He also led 
an expedition against the Ohio Indians in 1764. An admirable account 
of this expedition was published by the Rev. William Smith, of Phila- 
delphia, in 1765. 

192 



J. M. Toner — Wasldngton in Forbes Ei-pcdition of 1758 9 

between the horses. A detail of soldiers marched by his side 
to steady the General's couch. General Forbes was himself 
a trained and experienced soldier, of a reserved and suspi- 
cious temperament, with a strong bent toward diplomacy. 
He had capable officers under him, who gave their attention 
to all the details of equipment and to drilling the provincial 
forces of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and 
North Carolina as tliey arrived in camp and were assigned 
to duty. Henry Boucpiet, the second officer in command, 
held a British connnission of colonel and had command of 
the Royal Americans. Colonel Archibald Montgomery, also 
a British officer, was in command of the regiment of High- 
landers, reported 1,200 strong; but with all their zeal and 
ability it is probable they were at first deficient in a knowl- 
edge of the best methods of Indian fighting. Colonel Bou- 
quet later acquired fame in this line. It is doubtless true 
that the General's illness limited the attention he was able 
to give to details and to the measures essential to the speedy 
and efficient equipment of the expedition. He was never 
able to examine personally either the Brad dock road or the 
line proposed for the new one across the mountains, which 
was opened on the recommendation of Bouquet, by his order, 
from Raes Town to Fort Du (^uesne. Any knowledge tliat 
either General Forbes or Colonel Bouquet had of the time it 
would require and the labor and expense of opening this 
road was based upon reports of limited, if not partial and 
hasty, examinations. The question of the merits of the two 
routes was much discussed in the larger towns of the prov- 
inces, in the army, by Indian traders, and l)y commercial 
men. Naturally, General Forbes had to defer much to 
Colonel Bouquet on the road question and the minutiae of 
the details of supplies and outfits. It is inferred that Sir 
John St. Clair recanted his early opinions, and that Colonel 
Bouquet's hasty reconnoitering of the ground forced the 
opening of the new road. General Forbes in a letter to 
Colonel Bouquet, June 10, 1758, on being informed of the 
opening of a road from Fort Frederick, Maryland, to Fort 

2G-UEC. Coi.. Hist. Sue. 193 



10 Records of tlie Columbia Historical Society 

Cumberland, says he " regrets the change of route." He 
meant from the one by Raes Town and Loyal Hannon. 
Colonel Bouquet, with a part of his Royal Americans, a part 
of the Pennsylvania and Maryland troops, and six compa- 
nies of the Virginians, reached Raes Town on the 24tli of 
June from Fort Littleton (see Kouquet's Orderly Book). He 
was then upon the ground to consider the question of roads. 
Smallpox appeared among the troops at Fort Loudoun in 
the early part of June (see Bouquet's letter to Forbes, 14 
June, 1758). 

General Forbes in his letter to Bouquet of June 19, 1758, 
says, " I am glad you have proceeded to Raes Town, where 
you will be al)le to judge of the roads and act accordingly," 
and in another paragraph of the same letter he says, " I sup- 
pose you will reconnoiter the road across the Alleghany 
mountains from Raes Town, and if found impracticable that 
the Fort Cumberland garrison should oj3en the old road for- 
ward towards the crossing of the Yohagani." A very con- 
siderable and able correspondence in relation to the merits 
of the routes by which the army could most advantageously 
and expeditiously march to the head of the Ohio was carried 
on between Colonel Bouquet and Colonel Washington. The 
latter rested his arguments in favor of the Braddock road 
chiefly upon the fact that the Braddock road was already 
made and its use would expedite the march from two to 
three months, and that it was but thirty miles or two days 
march from Raes Town. To open a new road would cost 
the labor of two thousand men for nearly three months, be 
a disagreeable employment and exhausting to the soldiers ; 
but neither the labor nor the delay seems to have had much 
consideration from either General Forbes or Colonel Bouquet. 
A convincing reason for the opening of the new road is 
nowhere expressed by either. This correspondence between 
Bouquet and Washington may be seen in the " Writings of 
Washington " by Sparks. 

A new road was determined upon from Bedford and work 
upon it authorized by General Forbes (see letter to Bouquet, 

194 



/. 71/. Toner — WasJihigton in Forbes Expedition of 1758 11 

July 23, 1758), and a commencement made a few days after. 
On the 23d of August, 1758, Colonel James Burd, of the 
Pennsylvania troops, who had been in charge of the w^ork on 
the road l)egun by the governor of Pennsylvania in 1755, was 
assigned to duty in supervising the opening of the Forbes 
road under orders from Colonel Bouquet. Numerous ftivor- 
able reports were made to Colonel Bouquet by Indian traders, 
scouting parties, and special agents, whom he sent out, as to 
the character of the country to be traversed, the easy grades 
through openings in the mountains, and the abundance of 
grass and pasturage for the cattle and horses along the route. 
Colonel John Armstrong, who was quite familiar with the 
mountain regions of Pennsylvania and who was an ardent ad- 
vocate for opening a new road, was, with a portion of his regi- 
ment, sent forward, pack-horses carrying their provisions, to 
Edmunds's swamp and Stony creek to build breastworks and 
to work to the east in opening the road to meet other parties 
working toward the west. Colonel Adam Stephen, of the 
Virginia troops, was also sent forward on the same duty, to 
work toward parties working to the w^est. This was done to 
hasten the work of opening the road. The following map is 
found among the Bouquet papers preserved in the British 
Museum, a copy of which is deposited in the Canadian ar- 
chives. (See William Kingsford's History of Canada, vol. iv, 
page 197.) 

This map was evidently made with an im})erfect knowl- 
edge of the country it claims to represent. The openings 
in the Alleghany mountains which it shows are purely imagi- 
nary, and the great de})ression in the Laurel Hill mountain 
is largely fancy. Still it is a record of the time and the kind 
of information the General was supplied with and obliged to 
act upon. The map also shows the line of Braddock's road, 
the road from Fort Cumberland to Bedford, and the pro- 
posed cross-road in a northeasterly direction from the Brad- 
dock road at the crossing of Salt Lick creek, now known as 
Sewickly creek, to the Forbes road at a point some miles east 
of Greensburg, in the vicinity of Latrobe. At the crossing of 

195 



12 



Records of the Columbia Historical Society 



Salt Lick creek a camp and fort were projected, but the needs 
of the expedition never required them and the road was not 
opened for military purposes. The map is an interesting 
one and but little known. Another map of the same section 



TOUQU£SNE(Pittsbut^ 




\(BeclforclJ 



rORT CUMBEBLflN. 



MflPSMCWlN© ROUTE FOI.LOWED BYTHE FORCE UNDER BpiG, 

Forbes from Bedford^ Pa. toFortDu<9uesne, Ohio, 1758 



]96 



J. M. Toner — Washington in Forbes Expedition of 1758 13 

of country and embracing the same militar}^ operations, but 
drawn with greater care and a better knowledge of the 
country, may be seen in Sparks's " Life and Writings of 
Washington," vol. 11, page 38. 

Just before General Forbes arrived at Raes Town a con- 
siderable reconnoitering party was fitted out from Loyal 
Hannon by Colonel Bouquet to gain intelligence of the con- 
dition of the French fort and their strength at that post. A 
force consisting of 850 men, drawn from the different regi- 
ments then at Loyal Hannon, was placed under the com- 
mand of Major Grant,* of the Highlanders, for this special 

* Major Grant, afterward known as General Grant, of the British arinj', 
was born in iScotland in 1719. Reentered the arm}' as ensign in 1741, 
and became captain of the First Royal Scots October 24, 1744. In 1747 he 
was appointed by General James St. Clair ambassador to the conrts of 
Vienna and Turin. He subsequently served in the war of the Nether- 
lands. 

In January, 1757, he was commissioned major in the new Seventy- 
seventh regiment, first battalion, generally known as the Archibald- 
Montgomery's Highlanders. These troops were ordered to America in 
1757. They first landed at Halifax in August, and were then ordered, 
with a portion of the Royal Americans under Colonel Henry Bouquet, to 
South Carolina, where they arrived 29th September. It was apprehended 
at the time that the French were about to make an attack upon that coast. 
When General Forbes was given the command of the southern depait- 
ment and organized the expedition against Fort Du Quesne these troops 
were placed under his command, and they arrived at Philadeli^hia in the 
early j)art of June, 1758, and encam})ing near the new barracks, were 
there reviewed by General Forbes. Major Grant's forces were actively 
engaged under Bouquet in opening the new road from Raes Town, now 
Bedford, to Ligonier. He was indulged at his own request by Bouquet to 
be promoted to lead a strong force to reconnoiter tlie French fort. He 
became po.ssessed with the idea that he could lead the French and Indians 
into an ambuscade ; but he was himself surprised and defeated with the 
loss of more than a third of his party killed, wounded, and missing. 
]\Iajor Grant, Major Lewis, and eighteen other officers were taken prisoner- 
During the remainder of the expedition he seems to have kept very quiet. 
In 17(J0 he was made lieutenant colonel in the Fortieth foot, and shortly 
after was made governor of East Florida. The following year he was 
sent by General Amherst, with a force of 1,300 regulars, against the 
Cherokee Indians in South Carolina. In 1773 he was sent to Parliament. 
In 1775 he was appointed colonel of the Fifty-fifth foot, and in 1776 was 
ordered to America to reinforce General Howe. He commanded two 

197 



14 Records of the Colnmhia Historical Society 

service. In his zeal and hoping to capture the fort with his 
party, Major Grant exceeded his instructions and attacked 
the French on the 14th of September, but was defeated with 
the loss of one-third of his forces, and was himself taken 
prisoner, as was also Captain Lewis and about 40 men. 
General Forbes said of this affair that " Major Grant had 
lost his wits." 

It was chiefly through the courage and good conduct of 
Captain Bullet, of Virginia, that Grant's defeat was pre- 
vented from being as disastrous as that of General Brad- 
dock's in 1755. 

General Forbes reached Raes Town on the loth of Sep- 
tember, and was promptly w^aited upon by all the officers 
apprised of his coming, among whom was Colonel Wash- 
ington, wdio returned to Fort Cumberland for his regiment 
the next day, and immediately marched them to Raes Town- 
Colonel Washington had been stationed with the First Vir- 
ginia troops awaiting orders at Fort Cumberland, where he 
arrived from Winchester on the 2d of July. Colonel Burd, 
with the Second Virginia regiment, arrived at Fort Cum- 
berland on the 8th of July. Quite half the men of both 
regiments had, however, been sent forward in June and were 
assisting in the building of the new road ; but the remainder 
of the Virginia troops were all brought up to Raes Town 
directly after General Forbes arrived there. At Fort Cum- 
berland the Virginia officers contiiuied the training of their 
men and gave attention, under orders from Colonel Bouquet, 
to making a road l)etween Fort Cumljcrland and Fort Fred- 
erick, in Maryland, and between Fort Cuml)erland and Raes 
Town, and also to repairing the eastern end of the Braddock 
road. Indeed, it was understood in army circles that Colonel 

brigades at the battle of Long Island, and a similar force at (Jermantown 
and at Brandywine. In May, 1778, he was sent to cut off Lafayette, but 
was unsuccessful, and in December of this year he was sent from New 
York to the West Indies and assisted in capturing St. Lucia. He was 
made a major general in 1777, lieutenant general in 1784, and general in 
179(5. He came into the possession of a large landed estate in Scotland, 
and died, without children, April 13, 1806. 

198 



/. 31. Toner — WasJnngton in Forbes Expedition of 1758 15 

"Washington was to march an independent division l)y the 
l>raddock road coincident with tlie movement of F()r])es's 
army by the main roa(i This phin was advised against by 
Colonel Washington as unwise, to divide their forces in a 
country infested by the enemy. Indeed, this may never 
have been seriously entertained by General Forbes, or, if so, 
the plan was changed. Washington's Orderly Book, already 
referred to, opens at Raes Town September 21st. General 
Forbes was then there and in command and remained at 
this camp for some weeks, perfecting his arrangements for 
the march of the rear division of his army to Loyal Hannon. 
These troops were moved in detachments. The General 
began his march on the 2(3th of October, making his first 
encampment at Shawnee Cabins, eight miles from PxMlford, 
and his second cam}) was at Fort Dward. Reading between 
the lines, it is not difficult to see that General Forbes, after 
a short personal acquaintance with Colonel Washington as 
an officer in the same camp, conceived a higher regard for 
his intelligence, manly deportment, soldierly qualities, and 
ability to manage and encourage soldiers in the discharge of 
their duty than he had formerly entertained. At an early 
period in the expedition, and particularly during the discus- 
sion of the road question, when the A'^irginia Colonel's opin- 
ions reached General Forl)es only through others, he wrote 
some sharp criticisms upon Washington's views ; but General 
Forbes, it appears, neither consulted him in person nor by 
letter, and only became acquainted with Washington's views 
through Bouquet and St. Clair. 

After they met, however, there was never a word other 
than of confidence and admiration. The Virginia troops in 
their proficiency of drill were next to the regulars, and as 
woodsmen had no equals in the expedition. Washington 
was known and everywhere spoken of as the foremost mili- 
tary man of his time in the colonies. 

There is some ground for believing that both General 
Forbes and Colonel Bouquet, from hearing such universal 
praise of Colonel AVashington and his genius in military 

199 



16 Records of the Columbia Historical Society 

affairs, were not only a little envions but somewhat jealous 
of the man, and wished to minimize his influence in the plan- 
ning of the expedition to the Ohio ; but all this was changed 
and forgotten as time went on, and each officer's opinions 
were better canvassed and their conduct and efficiency con- 
trasted as the campaign came to a fortunate conclusion, which 
more emphatically demonstrated the weakness of the French 
than the genius of Forbes and Bouquet. 

Colonel Washington was known to neglect no detail of 
outfit, supply, or executive supervision of his regiment, no 
requirements for the safety and efficiency of the service. 
General Forbes, in selecting him to command one of the three 
brigades, had to pass over Colonel John Armstrong, of Penn- 
sylvania, who had won renown in that province as an Indian 
fighter by his capture of Kittanning in 175(). He had had 
the ear of the General for several months, was ])opular also 
with the people, and the legislature had voted him a medal 
and a service of silver. This preferment for Colonel Wash- 
ington caused less friction with the Pennsylvania troops than 
might have been expected. They, too, on a better acquaint- 
ance with Colonel Washington, soon came to admire him and 
his methods more than any other commander in the field. 

Colonel Washington, with- that portion of his regiment 
under his immediate command, remained in camp at Raes 
Town, where he was in daily intercourse with General Forbes 
for a month before he was ordered to Loyal Hannon, so that 
he did not arrive at that place until after the attack by N. de 
Vetri was made upon the camp and the fort with an esti- 
mated force of 1,200 French and 200 Indians. Colonel Bou- 
quet was absent at the time at Fort Dudgeon, on Laurel Hill, 
viewing and opening a new road, so that Colonel James Burd 
was in command. He and his men acquitted themselves 
nobly, repelling all assaults. The enemy's forces were quite 
as large as that under Colonel Burd. The attack was re- 
newed at night, but a few discharges of the cohorns silenced 
them. The loss to the English was reported as 62 men and 
5 officers killed and missing. The French were busy all 

200 



J. M. Toner — Wasliingfon in. Forbes E.rpedifion of 1758 17 

night in carrying off their dead and wounded. This with 
the loss of some cattle and horses was all the injury inflicted. 
The engagement was an expiring effort on the })art of the 
French, for they could no longer provision their forces or 
keep the Indians at Fort Du (^uesne. The repulse was there- 
fore more disheartening to the French and more important 
in its results to the Forhes expedition than has generally 
been recognized. General Forbes arrived at Loyal Hannon 
on the 2d of November (see Orderly Book). Colonel A\"ash- 
ington finally received orders to march, left Raes Town on 
the 14th of October and arrived at Loyal Ilannon on the 23d 
of the same month. On the 25th of Octol)er he sat as presi- 
dent of a, court-martial at Fort Loyal Hannon for the trial 
of Lieutenant Laughry, of the First Battalion of Pennsylvania. 
This was probably the first English court, civil or military, 
that ever sat in western Pennsylvania or in the valley of the 
Ohio and Mississippi. The court consisted of Colonel Wash- 
ington, president ; Colonel Armstrong, Colonel Burd, Lieu- 
tenant Dagworthy, Lieutenant Colonel Llo3^d, Major Wad- 
dall. Major Jameson ; deputy judge advocate. Lieutenant 
Thompson. 

When the court sat the season was so far advanced that 
the leaves were falling and the mountain tops capped wdth 
snow. When the General reached Loyal Hannon he saw for 
himself the character of roads across the mountains and the 
difficulty of bringing up supplies for men and horses, and 
began to despair of being able to reach Fort Du Quesne, 
owing to the lateness of the season and the difficulties with 
which he had to contend. A good stockade fort, storehouses, 
and a hospital had already been erected for the security of the 
stores and the comfort of the men. On the 11th of Novem- 
ber General Forbes held a council of war, at which all the 
officers down to and including colonels were present, and the 
question put to each was whether it was pro})er and safe for 
the army to march farther this season. Each officer's opinion 
was reduced to writing. The final judgment was that it was 

27— Rue. Coi,. Hist. Soc. 201 



18 Records of the Columbia Historical Society 

inexpedient, owing to the lateness and inclemency of the sea- 
son, to attempt to proceed farther under the then existing 
conditions of the army. Two days after this determination 
was reached Washington was out on scouting duty, and dis- 
covering a party of the enemy, innned lately attacked them, 
killing some and taking three prisoners, an Indian man and 
woman and an Englishman. The latter had heen taken 
prisoner from Lancaster county more than a year before. 
The taking of these prisoners proved the turning point which 
won success to the Forbes expedition, for when they were 
taken to camp and there carefully questioned it was learned 
to the satisfaction of the General and all the officers that 
Fort du Quesne was very weak in numbers and in an inde- 
fensible condition ; so that the determination of the council 
of war held on the 11th was by unanimous consent reversed, 
and General Forbes determined to proceed at once and with- 
out tents, with light baggage, and with but little artillery. 
This resolve greatly inspirited the army. Washington had, 
early in the campaign, requested to have his regiment placed 
among those in front, urging that he himself was familiar 
with the woods and his regiment was well trained to Indian 
fighting. General Forbes, having determined upon an ad- 
vance, selected about two thousand live hundred (2,500) of 
the most capable men. These he formed into three divis- 
ions, placing each under a brigadier general, assigning the 
center to Brigadier General Montgomery, the right to Brig- 
adier General Washington, and the left to Brigadier General 
Bouquet. From this time forward Washington was recog- 
nized as the commander of a brigade and was reported to as 
such. On the 15th of November Brigadier General Wash- 
ington's command, as the advance division, set out from Fort 
Ligonier. His labors were great in opening roads, estab- 
lishing camps, sending out scouting parties, and reporting 
frequently during the day and night to General Forbes. 
The troops, however, encountered no enemy in force after 
leaving Loyal Hannon. 

202 



J. M. Toner — Wasliingfon in Forhea Exj)cdition of 1758 19 

The following is a tran,scTi})t from Washington's Orderly 
Book : 

Camp at Loyal Hannon, Notriuher 12, 1758. 
After Orders — 

1 Col., 1 Lieut., 1 IMujor, 5 Captains, 16 Sabs., 20 Sergeants, 2 Corp., 
and 450 Privates. IMen to march tomorrow morninsj; at reveille beating to 
tlie ground where the skirmish was this evening and to carry a propor- 
tion of spades in order to inter tlie Dead bodies. 

This has reference to the burial of those killed in the 
skirmish on the evening of the 12th. 

Colonel Washington's plan for marching an army through 
a wooded country was, as we see, adopted in the main as the 
order of march from Loyal Hannon, where the forces were 
brigaded by the following order: 

Camp at Loyai> Hannon, xVoc'"- 14th 1758 

Pai'ole Bai-badoes 

Field Officer for tomorrow Maj^ Jameson 

Whereas the circumstances of the times require that a Disposition be 
immediately made of the troops under Brigadier Gen'l Forbes Command"', 
the army is to be divided into tliree Bodys and to be Commanded by Col. 
Bouquet, Montgomery and Washington who is to act as Brigadiers re- 
ceiving all Reports & giving orders &c Regarding their respective divis- 
ions or Brigades tlie Right Wing to be Commanded by Col. Washington 
to Consist of the 1st Virginia Regim'. two Companies of Artificers, N. 
Carolineans, Maryland" and Lower County 

The ISenter to be commanded by Col". Montgomerie and to Consist of 
tiie Highlanders and 2d Virginia Regiment. 

The left wing to be commanded by Col. Bouquet Consisting of the three 
Battallions of Pennsylvanians and Royall Americans the Reserve to be 

commanded by to Consist of 200 nigh]an<lers200of tlie2d V. Regim'. 

& 200 of the Pensilvanians in the Mean time tlie Virginians to l)e under 
the Conunand of lirigadier Wasiiington. 

The Highlanders under tlie C/ommand of Brigadier Montgomerie, and 
the Pensilva^ under the Command of Col". Bouquet the first Division to 
March tomorrow Morning and to draw 8 Days provisions and meat for 
4 Days driving Cattle with tliem to Compleat them with y" Rest 

The 2d Division to March witii the field Train of Artillery at one 
oClock with the same Q*-. of Provisions, and the third Division to be 
Comple'*. tomorrow with the same number of Days as the former. 

The Mens Tents are to be left in Store and iiroperly Rowld ui) with 
their Marks as likewise half the Remainder of Camp Kettles The Am- 
munition ct ;] Si)are flints are carefully to be examined and Compleated — 

The falling Axes being Immediately wanted to open the Roads they 

203 



20 Becords of the Columbia Historical Society 

are this Afternoon to be given to L'. Lyons at the Store who will return 
the Receipt— 

The Commanding Uthcensof Corps to send toCapt. Hays sueh a Num- 
ber of Cartridges as will only Compleat their Corps with 44 Rounds Pr. 
Man besides the 36 Rounds which they carry and each Corps to mark 
their Ammunition so that no mistake may happen in the Issuing of it. 
they are to send their Ammunition to Mr. Everard to the Artillery park 
who will Receive it and Load into Waggons immediately- 
After Orders 

the Mens tents to be left pitched & a proportion of each Corps to Guard 
them 

All the Horses belonging to the King that were delivered to the Troops 
are to be returned tomorrow ^Morning and the Genl. will make a Distri- 
bution of them amongst the Troops in the proportion of 2 to 100 INIen— 
B. O. the Troops that INLarch tomorrow morning are to.be Compleated 
tonight agreeable to the Gen'^ orders of this day and everything in 
readiness to March at 8 O'Clock in the morning at farthest 

The Commanding Otficer of each Corps of that Division that Marches 
is to carry only such Men as he can most depend on, a Return of which 
is to be given to Maj^ Stewart this night— Such of those Men as are 
pitched on to March tomorrow morning that are now on Guard are im- 
mediately to be Relieved by those that Stay. 

Each division assisted in opening the road and marched 
with the greatest cantion to avoid surprises, keeping out 
scouts and flanking parties, but they met with no organized 
companies of the enemy. Tlieir advanced camp on the even- 
ing: of tlie 24th was about ten miles from Fort Du Quesne. 
Here they learned from scouts that a dense smoke had been 
observed at the fort, and shortly after other scouts reported 
that the fort had been blown up and the garrison and adja- 
cent houses burnt. A troop of light horse was sent forward 
to make discovery, and, if possiljle, extinguish the fire and 
save as much of the fort or buildings in the vicinity as might 
be practicable. The report of the abandonment of the fort 
by the French was confirmed. On the evening of the 25th, 
General Forbes, preceded by Washington's, Bouquet's, and 
Montgomery's brigade, arrived and took possession of Fort 
Du Quesne. About thirty stacks of chimneys still stood, 
showing where houses had been burnt. The fort had been 
mined and blown up. The destruction was not very com- 
plete, as powder and ammunition to the extent of some thirty 

204 



J. M. Toner — Wasliinfjfon in. Forha^ Expcdifion. of T7'5S 21 

barrels reiiiaiiKMl uninjured. AFen and money directed Ity 
Anglo-Saxon genius had triumphed. The territory was 
henceforth to be occupied and governed by an English- 
speaking people. 

It is deserving of mention, in passing, that there were four 
several occasions in which Washington's life was placed in 
great jeopardy, all of which occurred at or near Pittsburg 
and each while signalizing his devotion to the reclamation 
of the West. The first was when AVashington was deliber- 
ately shot at by a treacherous Indian when returning from 
Fort Le Brenf in conn)any with CUiristopher Gist. This In- 
dian, on their return march, had joined them without solici- 
tation, the' day before they reached the Allegheny river, men- 
tioned in his published journal. The second occurred in 
crossing the Allegheny river in the dusk of the evening, in 
midwinter, on a frail raft, when the stream was swollen and 
rendered additionally dangerous by floating ice. The cross- 
ing was made some three miles above the city of Pittsburg. 
On this perilous passage Washington was accidentally thrown 
from the raft into deep water, and only because he Avas a 
good swimmer and through the aid of Mr Gist was he enal)led 
to regain his position ; but the ice forced them to make for 
a small island in the vicinity of the present United States 
arsenal, where they were obliged to remain all night. From 
this circumstance the island (Wainwright's) is often called 
" Washington island." By morning the ice had frozen strong 
enough to bear them and they were enabled to cross on it to 
the left bank of the river and pursue their journey. The 
third was in the battle of the Monongahela, known in history 
as Braddock's defeat, where he had two horses shot under 
him and his coat pierced by four bullets. The fourth was 
in the skirmish with the enemy at Loyal Hannon, referred 
to, where he took the three prisoners whose testimony led 
to an advance of the army and a successful ending of the 
Forbes expedition. General Washington gave an account 
of this affiiir to the Honorable William Findley, of western 
Pennsylvania. Mr Findley wrote out his recollections of 

205 



22 Records of the Columbia Historical Society 

this recital, and the article is published in Niles's Register, 
vol. 14. Another account of the same incident is given in 
the Pennsylvania Archives, vol. xii. The incident occurred 
in this wise : The firing of Washington's troops upon the In- 
dians on the 12th of November, when on scouting duty, was 
heard at camp; whereupon Colonel Mercer, by permission, 
marched immediately with a company of soldiers to render 
assistance. It was the dusk of evening, and Colonel Mercer 
seeing the Indian prisoners in front of Colonel Washington's 
force, supposed the whole party to be enemies and fired upon 
them. Washington, too, was at first under tlie impression 
that Colonel Mercer's party were enemies, so that several 
volleys were exchanged before the error was discovered or 
the firing could be arrested. Washington was between the 
forces, and, discovering the condition of affairs, ran forward, 
gesticulating and calling upon them to cease firing upon 
their friends. This Washington considered the occasion 
when his life had been placed in the greatest danger that he 
could recall. One officer and 15 or 16 of the Virginia sol- 
diers were killed. 

The French and tlieir Indian allies, after destroying Fort 
Du Quesne and burning the buildings around it, fled by 
water, part of the force going up the Allegheny and the re- 
mainder down the Ohio. Their heavy guns were removed 
from the fort, and it was at first supposed they had been 
buried or thrown into the river, but they were, I believe, 
never discovered, so it is presumed that they were taken on 
boats down the Ohio to other French posts. 

The British flag was hoisted November 25, 1758, and tlie 
placed named " Pittsburg," in honor of the great British 
Minister of State, William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, alw^ays a 
staunch friend of the colonies. A palisade fort and garrison 
was at once constructed to shelter and protect the soldiers. 
A treaty of peace was concluded with such Indians as could 
be assembled in council. This effected, the Regular troops 
were sent back to the settlements to go into comfortable 
winter quarters, as General Forbes had no authority to gar- 

206 



,/. 3f. Toiler — Washin[/to)i in Forbes Expedition of 1758 23 

risen fortifications with the Reguhirs. The coniniand of tlie 
post at Pittsl)urg was given to Colonel Hugh Mercer, with 200 
\^ii-ginians and some Pennsylvania and Maryland troops. 

The presnni|)tion at the time that the territory around the 
head of the Ohio was within the dominion of ^'^irginia may 
have determined the selection of troops for the purpose of 
garrisoning this post. After attending to all necessary affairs, 
securing as great a degree of comfort for the garrison as pos- 
sible under the circumstances, and assuring as orderly a man- 
agement of the post as practicable, General Forbes ordered 
the Regular and the Provincial troops not actually re(piired 
back to Ligonierto meet their provisions (see General Forbes's 
letter to governor of Pennsylvania, Noveml)er 26, 1758). The 
General himself, on his litter, commenced his weary return 
tri)i to Philadelphia December 4 (see his letter from Bouquet's 
camp, December 4, 175S). He rested a few days at Ligonier 
and a longer time at Raes Town. The Regulars and the 
Provincials passed through Bedford in the latter part of De- 
cember. General Forbes now gave the name " Fort Ligonier " 
to the works at Loyal Hannon, and "Fort Bedford" to the 
works at Raes Town, as he had given the name " Pittsburg " 
to the post and camp at the head of the Ohio. He arrived 
at Philadelphia on the 14th of January, 1759. The citizens 
welcomed him by the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon, 
and l)y manifesting in every way possible their a])preciation 
of the success of the ex})edition under his command. Gen- 
eral Forbes had asked of General Amlierst a temporary leave 
from his command that he might devote himself to the re- 
covery of his shattered health ; but unfortunately the dis- 
ease with which he was afflicted had exhausted his strength 
and had become incurable. He died March 10, 1759. His 
remains were interred in the church yard at Fifth and Arch 
streets, in Philadelphia. No monument marks the place of 
his burial. An avenue in the greater Pittsburg bears his 
name. 

Brigadier General Washington on his return stopped a 
short while at Fort Ligonier and there wrote a circular letter 

207 



24 Records of the Columbia Historical Society 

• 
to the frontier inhabitants of Virginia, requesting thein to 
send out to Pittsburg provisions to sustain that garrison. He 
described the scarcity of provisions for soldiers as well as of 
provender for horses, declared the road to be comparatively 
safe, and promised it should be kept open for trade, etc. 
(See Washington's letter of December 2, 1758.) 

Colonel Washington directed the Virginia troops not as- 
signed to duty at Pittsburg and Fort Ligonier to march to 
Winchester and there to rest, recruit, and await orders. He 
himself proceeded by a more rapid movement to Winchester 
and Mount Vernon. The driving of the French from the 
head of the Ohio had long been a favorite project with Wash- 
ington, to which he had looked forward with great confi- 
dence, believing it would be accomplished by even a shorter 
campaign than the one so auspiciously ended. 

It had been given out, and was generally understood 
among his friends, that upon the fulfillment of the purposes 
of the campaign he would retire from the army, which he 
did after settling all his accounts with the Government. He 
rested a short time at jVIount Vernon and at his mother's, en 
route to Williamsburg, to settle the affairs of his regiment 
and to attend, as a member, the session of the House of Bur- 
gesses, to which he had been elected. He resigned his com- 
mission as commander of the \^irginia troops on the 27th of 
December, 1758. The following flattering address of his 
officers was sent to him : 

To George Washington Esq"". Coll", of the Virginia Regiment & Com- 
mander of all the Virginia Forces — 

The liumhle Address of the Officers of the Virginia Regiment. 
Sir. 

We, your most obedient and affectionate Officers, beg Leave to express 
our great Concern, at the disagreeal)]e News we have received of your 
Determination to resign the Command of that Corps, in whicli we have 
under you long served. 

The Happiness we have enjoyed, and the Honor we have acquired to- 
gether, with the mutual Regard that has always subsisted between you 
and your Officers, have implanted so sensible an Affection in the Minds 
of us all, that we cannot be silent on this critical Occasion. 

208 



J. M. Toner — Wasltiugfon in Forbes E.rpedition of 1758 25 

In our earliest Infancy you took us under your Tuition, trained us up 
in the Practice of that Discipline, whicli alone can constitute good troops, 
from the punctual Observance of which you never suffered the least De- 
viation. 

Your steady adherence to impartial Justice, j'our quick Discernment, 
and invariable Regard to Merit, wisely intended to inculcate those gen- 
uine Sentiments of true Honor and Passion for Glory, from which the 
greatest militarj^ achievements have been derived, first heightened our 
natural Emulation, and our Desire to excel. How much we improved by 
those Regulations and your own example, with what Alacrity we have 
hitherto discharged our Duty, with what Cheerfulness we have encoun- 
ter'd the severest Toils, especially while under your particular Directions, 
we submit to yourself, and flatter ourselves that we have in a great Meas- 
ure ansvver'd your Expectations. 

Judge, then, how sensibly we must be Affected with the loss of such 
an excellent Commander, such a sincere Friend, and so affable a Com- 
panion. How rai'e is it to find these amiable Qualifications blended to- 
gether in one Man? How great the loss of such a Man ? Adieu to that 
Superiority, which the Enemy have granted us over other Troops, and 
which even the Regulars and Provincials have done us the Honor pub- 
licly to acknowledge! Adieu to that strict Discipline and order, which 
you have always maintain' d ! Adieu to that happy Union and Harmony, 
which have been our principal Cement ! 

It gives us additional Sorrow, when we reflect, to find our unhappy 
Country will receive a loss no less irreparable than ourselves. Wliere 
will it meet a Man so experienced in military Affairs ? One so renowned 
for Patriotism, Conduct, and Courage? A\'ho has so great a Knowledge 
of the Enemy we have to deal with? Who so well acquainted with their 
Situation & Strength ? Who so much respected by the Soldiery ? Who 
in short so able to support the military Character of Virginia ? 

Your approv'd love to your King and Country, and your uncommon 
Perseverance in promoting the Honor and true Interest of the Service, 
convince us that the most cogent Reasons only could induce you to quit 
it, yet we with the greatest Deference, presume to entreat you to suspend 
those Thoughts for another Year, and to lead us on to assist in the Glo- 
rious work of extirpating our Enemies, towards which so considerable 
Advances have been already made. In you we place the most implicit 
Confidence. Your Presence only will cause a steady Fineness and Vigor 
to actuate every Breast, despising the greatest Dangers, and thinking 
light of Toils and Hardships while led on by the Man we know and Love. 
But if we must be so unhappy as to part, if the Exigencies of your Af- 
fairs force you to abandon Us, we beg it as our last Request, that you will 
recommend some Person most capable to command, whose Military 
Knowledge, whose Honor, whose Conduct, and whose disinterested 
Principles, we may depend on. 

Frankness, Sincerity, and a certain Openness of Soul, are the true 

28— Rf.c. Coi,. Hist. Soc. 209 



26 



Records of the Cotumhia Historical Society 



Cliaracteristics of an Officer, and we flatter ourselves tliat you do not 
think us capable of saying any tiling contrary to tl)e purest Dictates of 
our Minds. Fully persuaded of this, we beg leave to assure you, that, as 
you have hitherto been the actuating Soul of the whole Corps, we shall 
at all times pay the most invariable Regard to your Will and Pleasure, 
and will always be happy to demonstrate by our Actions, with how much 
Respect and Esteem we are, 
Sir, 

Your most affectionate 

& most obed'. humble Servants 
Fort Loudoun 

Dec--. .3P'. 1758. 



G°. Weedon 
Henry Russell 
Jn". Lawson 
Ge". Speak 
W". Woodford 
John M'^Cully 
John Sallard 
"W. Hughes 
Walt Cunningham 
William Cocke 
David Kennedy 
Ja'. Craik, Surgeon 
James Duncanson 
J A'. Roy 



Robert Stewart 
John M<=Nicill 
H. Woodward 
Rob'. M°Kenzie 
THO^ Bullitt 
John Blagg 
Natha'. Gist 
Mord". Buckner 
W". Dangerfield 
W". Fleming 
Leonard Price 
Nath^ Thompson 
CH^ Smith 



On the 6th of January, 1750, George Washington was mar- 
ried at the Wliite House, on the Pamunky river, New Kent 
county, A^irginia, to Martha Custis, nee Dandridge, widow of 
John Parke Custis. This proved a fortunate and happy 
alliance. After attending the session of the Assembly to its 
close, he brought his wife to his loved home, Mount ^^ernon, 
on the Potomac. 



Just before his death General Forbes conceived the idea of 
having a gold medal struck to commemorate the achieve- 
ments of the expedition against Fort Du Quesne, to be worn 
by the ofticers who took part in the campaign of 1758. (See 
letter of General Grant to Colonel Bouquet, 20th of February, 
1759.) 

210 



J. M. Toner— Wash irigfon in Forbes Expedition of 1758 27 

The medal is described by him as follows : 

It has on one side the representation of a road cut through an immense 
(sic) forest, over rocks and mountains and tlie motto " Per tot (Uscriinhia ; " 
on tlie other side are represented tlie confluence of the Ohio and Monon- 
galiela Rivers, a fort in flames in tlie forks of the river at tlie appi'oach 
of General Forbes, carried in a litter, followed with the army marching 
in columns with cannon. The motto " Ohio BrUtanica ConclUo Moaiqne." 
This is to be worn around the neck with a dark blue ribbon. 

By the General's Command, 

James Grant, 

Lieut, in His Majesty^ s 62d Reg^t, H. B. 

N. B. — General Forbes is of the opinion that such of our oflicers as 
choose to provide themselves with the above medal should have a copy 
of this letter, signed and attested by you, as a warrant for tlieir wearing 
it— J. G. , 

FoRr Du QuESNE, or now Pittsburg, the 26 Nor r. 1758. 
Sir: 

I have the Pleasure and Honour of Acquainting you with the Signal 
Success of his Majesty's Troops over all his Enemys on the Ohio, by hav- 
ing obliged them to Burn and abandon their Fort Du quesne which they 
effectuated upon the 24th Instant, And of which I took possession with 
my little Army the next Day, — The Enemy having made their escape 
down the River, part in Boats and part by Land, to their Forts, and Set- 
tlements on the Mississippi being abandoned, or at least not seconded by 
their Friends, the Indians, whom we had previously engaged to act a 
neutral part, And who now seem all willing and ready to Embrace His 
Hajesty's Most gracious Protection. 

So give me leave to congratulate you upon this publick event of having 
totally expelled the French from this Fort and this prodigious Tract of 
Country, and of having in a manner reconciled the various Tribes of 
Indians inhabiting it to His Majesty's Government. 

I have not time to give you a detail of our proceedings and approaches 
towards the Enemy, or of the Hardships and Ditticulties that we neces- 
sarily met with ; all that will soon come out, but I assure you, after re- 
ceiving the Ground & Fort, I have great reason to l)e most thankful for 
the part that the French have acted. 

As the Conquest of this Country is of the greatest Conseqtxence to the 
adjacent Provinces, by securing the Indians, our real Friends, for their 
advantage, I have therefore sent for their Head People to come to me, 
when I think in few Words and few Days to make everything easy ; I 
shall then set out to kiss your Hands, if I have Strength enough left to 
carry me through the Journey. 

I shall be obliged to leave about Two Hundred Men of your Provincial 
Troops to join a proportion of Virginia and Marylanders in order to pro- 
tect this Country during Winter, bj^ which Time I hope the Provinces 

211 



28 Becords of the Columbia Historical Society 

will be so sensible of the great Benefit of this new Acquisition, as to enable 
me to fix this noble, fine Country, to all Perpetuity, under the Dominion 
of Great Britain 

I beg the Barracks may be put in good repair, and proper Lodging for 
the Officei's, and that you will send me, with the greatest Dispatch, your 
Opinion how I am to dispose of the i-est of your Provincial Tx-oops for the 
ease and Convenience of the Province and the Inhabitants. 

You must also remember that Colonel ISIontgomery's Battalion of 
Thirteen Hundred Men, and Four Companies of Royal Americans, are, 
after so long and tedious a Campaign, to be taken care of in some Com- 
fortable Winter Quarters. 

I kiss all your Hands, and flatter myself that if I get to Philadelphia, 
under your Cares and good Companys, I shall yet run a good Chance of 
re-establishing a Health that I run the risque of ruining to give your 
Province all the Satisfaction in the Power of my weak Abilities. 
I am. Sir, with great Esteem and regard, 

Your most Obedient and Hum^ Servant, 

J". Forbes. 

P. S. — I must beg that you will recommend to your Assembly the build- 
ing of a Block House and Saw Mill upon the Kisskaminities * near Loyal 
Hannon, as a thing of the utmost Consequence to their Province, if they 
have any intention of profiting by this Acquisition. 

I send the New Levies to Carlisle, so beg you will loose no Time in 
sending up M^ Young, the Commissary, to clear them. 

(Minutes Provincial Council, Pa., vol. viii, pp. 232, 233.) 

Philadelphia, March 15, . 

On Sunday last died John Forbes, Esq., Brigadier General, Colonel of 
the 17th Regiment, and Commander of his Majesty's forces in the South- 
ern Province of North America. 

In his younger days he was bred to the profession of physic; but early 
ambitious of the military character, he purchased into the regiment of 
Scots Greys, where, by repeated purchases and ftiithful services, he 
arrived to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. 

His superior abilities soon recommended him to the protection of Gen- 
eral Campbell, the Earl of Stair, Duke of Bedford, and Lord Ligonier, 
and other distinguished characters in the army ; with whom he served 
as an aid-de-camp, and with the rest lived in the familiarity of a friend. 

During the war he had the honour to .be employed as Quarter-Master 
General to the army under his Royal Highness the Duke ; which duty he 
discharged with accuracy, dignity and dispatch. 

*The name Kiskaminities was by some applied to the Loyal Hannon. 
Later it has been restricted to the stream between the junction of the 
Kiskaminities and the Allegheny river and the forks of the Loyal Hannon 
and the Conemaugh rivers. 

212 



./. 31. Toner — Wasliingfon in Forbes Expedition of 1758 29 

His services in America are well known. By a steady pursuit of well 
concerted measures, he, in defiance of disease, and numl)erless obstruc- 
tions, brought to a happy issue a most extraordinary campaign ; and 
made his own life a willing sacrifice to what he valued more, the interest 
of his king and country. 

As a man he was just, and without prejudices ; brave without ostenta- 
tion ; uncommonly warm in his friendship, and yet incapable of flattery ; 
acquainted with the world and mankind; he was well bred, but abso- 
lutely impatient of formality and affectation. 

Eminently possessed of the social virtues, he indulged a cheerful gratifi- 
cation ; but quick in his sense of honour and duty to shine alike in both 
characters, without the giddiness sometimes attendant on the one, or the 
sowrness of the other. 

As an officer he was quick to discern useful men and useful measures, 
generally seeing both at first view, according to their real qualities; 
steady in his measures, but open to information and councel; in com- 
mand he had dignity, without superciliousness ; and tho' perfectly master 
of the forms, never hesitated to drop them when the spirit and more 
effectual parts of the service required it. 

See Pennsylvania Gazette, March 15, 1759 ; also London Chronicle, 
May 12, 1759. 



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